Law & Order (1990) s25e04 Episode Script
Two And Twenty
1
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate,
yet equally important groups:
the police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
I heard the good news.
I still can't believe it.
And thank you so much
for writing that letter.
It means the world to me.
He's a great kid.
Princeton's lucky to get him.
No, I mean that.
Really?
He doesn't even nod hello?
I mean, here we are, working
on a Saturday to make him rich.
He doesn't even say hello?
You're missing the point.
We're here to make ourselves rich.
We're using him,
just like he's using us.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
The lady over there saw the body,
called 911.
- Did she see anything else?
- No, sir. Just the body.
Any other potential witnesses?
No, sir.
♪
That's a lot of rage.
Those are some very deep wounds.
Thinking maybe a pipe or maybe a bat?
Got an ID?
We didn't touch him.
We were waiting for you guys.
His wedding band
and watch are still on him.
Got a wallet.
Jon Geller, Higson Capital.
Geller.
I know that name.
Wall Street guy, right?
He's kind of a legend.
Can you bag that?
Yes, ma'am.
Probably on his way to his beach house
or someplace fabulous.
Yeah, but once in a while,
it's not so good to be a legend.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Cause of death was you guessed it
blunt force trauma.
Pretty vicious attack.
10, possibly 11, blows
to the head and face
with a heavy object.
Any idea what kind?
No, but based on the wounds,
something with a sharp
and thin edge to it, like a crowbar.
Anything else?
Found some third-party DNA
under Geller's nails.
Figures.
The guy's been scratching and clawing
his entire life, right?
Are you sure?
He's not the only Jon Geller
in New York.
Yeah, we're sure.
Um, I'm very sorry.
We just need to ask you a few questions.
Were you aware of his plans for the day?
Uh, he was heading out to Long Island
to play golf with a client.
Was he driving?
No, no, no.
He was he was taking his helicopter.
He stopped by the office first.
Was there anything unusual
happening lately?
Anyone harassing him,
stalking him, threatening him?
- Oh.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I got you. OK, all right.
Take a seat. Take a seat.
OK, breathe. OK, just breathe.
[CRYING]
According to the video surveillance
we just watched, you guys met
with Geller earlier this morning?
Uh, correct.
And how long did you guys meet for?
About ten minutes, maybe less.
What'd you talk about?
Business.
Did he seem upset or agitated
or everything seemed normal?
Uh, both.
What does that mean?
Jon's normal state of being
at work, anyway
was being agitated, so both.
That your impression as well?
Yeah, more or less.
He was a little more agitated
than usual.
Why is that?
Because the deal we were
working on hasn't closed yet.
He thought we weren't
working hard enough.
Did he mention anything
about his plans for the day,
where he was going,
who he was meeting with?
No.
To your knowledge, was anyone
harassing or threatening him?
No.
Is there anything you can tell us
that you think might be helpful?
He was carrying a putter.
He just had it custom made.
He said it was going to change his life.
[SIGHS]
Good chance that new putter
was the murder weapon.
Really changed the guy's life too.
Excuse me.
Are you the assistant for Mr. Geller?
Yes, I heard what happened,
and I rushed over.
I wanted to see
if I could help with anything.
What time did you arrive?
About ten minutes ago.
Did you happen to talk with
or text Mr. Geller this morning?
Yes, we texted around 8:30.
About what?
His flight to Bridgehampton.
Was he traveling alone?
No.
I was waiting for him at the helipad.
I just thought he was running late
or got caught on an early morning Zoom.
So I left and got a coffee.
And you and Mr. Geller were
heading to Long Island to play golf?
Is that right?
Yes.
Which course?
Um, the one he belongs to.
It's private.
You don't know the name of it?
No.
Let me remind you that we're
investigating a homicide here, OK?
So anything that you say is actually
Sorry.
We weren't going out to play golf.
We were gonna spend
the weekend together.
Just the two of you?
We were dating.
So was this a serious thing or
Yes.
Did Mr. Geller's wife know?
Jon said he was gonna tell her about us,
ask for a divorce.
But he didn't wanna hurt her.
Did you actually see Jon this morning?
- Speak to him?
- No.
He told me to meet him
at the helipad at 10:00.
Any altercations? Any arguments?
Well, last night, Jon and his wife
got into an argument over the phone.
It sounded pretty heated.
You know what it was about?
Not really.
But I heard Jon say, this is happening,
whether you like it or not.
And then he just sort of stormed off,
told me he'd meet me at the helipad.
And that was it.
That was the last time I saw him.
Do you think it's possible
that Geller told her
about you and the divorce?
Yeah.
He said he was going to.
Wait, you don't think that
Wait, you're telling me that Jon was
he was dating a man?
Yeah.
- His name is Matt Thomas.
- [SIGHS]
I find that very hard to believe.
We're just telling you what we know.
This man was meeting Jon
at the East End helipad
yesterday morning.
And he also says he heard
Jon having an argument with you
the night before he was killed.
What are you talking about?
They were out at a bar,
and he heard Jon say, this is happening,
whether you like it or not.
Was he asking you for a divorce?
A divorce?
No.
We were arguing about our son, Shane.
Jon wanted him
to repeat the sixth grade.
He thought it would give him
a tactical advantage,
you know, him being older
than other kids.
And I thought it was overkill.
That's what we were arguing about.
Did you find the person
who killed my dad?
No, not yet, but we are
doing everything we can,
I promise you.
Shane, honey,
please go up to your room, OK?
Mrs. Geller, I apologize in advance,
but where were you
yesterday morning at 9:45 a.m.?
Well, I had a Pilates class
in the West Village.
I know we asked you this earlier,
but can you think of anyone
that was harassing
or threatening your husband?
There's this one guy at work.
He was threatening to sue Jon
for a lot of money.
You all right?
Yeah.
I was thinking about Geller's wife.
Dead bodies I can handle,
but telling innocent people
secrets about their loved ones?
Not my favorite.
Yeah, I get it.
Part of the deal, though, right?
Talking with perfect strangers
on the worst day of their life,
asking them personal questions,
telling them things
they never knew about their loved ones.
Hell of a job.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING]
Sorry to bother you, Mr. Addis.
I'm sort of in the middle of something.
Eh, this won't take long.
We want to know why you were
threatening to sue Geller.
[SIGHS] Excuse me.
Jon led me to believe
that I was going to be
named CEO when he retired.
Told me that, like, five or six times.
But he appointed somebody else instead?
Carter Getzelman.
Good guy.
We went to business school together.
But I was still upset.
I've had lots of lucrative
offers over the past few years,
and every time I got one,
Jon persuaded me to stay,
told me I was going to run
the firm when he retired.
But I never actually sued him.
Why is that?
We talked it out and renegotiated
my employment contract for the better.
How come you didn't tell us this
last time we spoke?
Well, you never asked.
I'm pretty sure we did.
Huh.
I lied. Habit.
Excuse me?
Three rules of Wall Street
never admit defeat,
never use your own money,
and never tell the truth.
- Are you trying to be funny?
- Mm, a little.
Knock it off.
I didn't kill Jon Geller.
That's ridiculous.
Truth is, I liked him and respected him.
He taught me a lot and made me rich too.
You happen to exit the building that day
after Geller left?
I went for a quick lunch around 1:00.
Got a receipt?
Paid in cash.
Didn't know you could still do that.
[PHONE VIBRATING]
Ooh.
Guys, I need to take this.
Addis.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
These Wall Street dudes are
so proud of being ruthless.
I'm not sure if this Addis guy is as OK
as he suggests at being passed over.
Only thing more intoxicating than money
- is power, right?
- Yeah.
And how about that video?
There's footage of him leaving
the building at 12:49 p.m.
Nothing before that?
No, but I'm guessing
there's a back exit.
For all we know, he could have
snuck out and snuck back in.
[PHONE DINGS]
DNA results are in.
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
OK.
This is just officially
getting ridiculous.
Yes, it is, but we need to talk.
And why is that?
Because your DNA matches the DNA found
under Geller's fingernails.
That's impossible.
No, it's not impossible at all.
We borrowed some of the coffee cups
from the conference room.
Turns out the saliva
I don't drink coffee.
Never have.
So if the cups you borrowed
had coffee in them,
it wasn't me.
This is my stimulant of choice.
♪
Nick Rossi.
What's going on?
Can you give me that cup
and put your hands behind your back?
Why?
Because you're under arrest
for the murder of Jon Geller.
What?
We found your DNA under
Jon Geller's fingernails.
People who commit murder shouldn't leave
half-empty coffee cups lying around.
♪
We just found your DNA
under Geller's fingernails.
And a patrol officer
just found the putter,
the one that you used to smash
Geller's skull, in a dumpster.
So I'm guessing we're gonna
find your fingerprints
all over that too.
And if that wasn't enough,
we've got video
of you leaving the office
the morning of the murder
at 8:48 a.m.
You don't return until 11:17.
So what happened, huh?
Why'd you attack this guy?
You know, I looked at your bio.
You graduated
top of your class at Fordham.
You played lacrosse.
You got a clean record.
I mean, you seem like a good kid.
But good kids don't kill people.
Not without a reason, right?
A good reason?
You know, Nick, believe it or not,
I actually am trying to help you here,
but I can't do that
if you don't tell me
your side of the story.
So just start at the beginning.
What did Geller say? What did Geller do?
He is the most disrespectful human being
I've ever met.
He treats people like he acts like
he acts like he owns you.
That must be very hard to deal with.
I know if someone treated me
that way day after day
I'm done talking.
I want a lawyer.
Thanks for doing this.
Please.
The evidence against
Mr. Rossi is strong.
It's clear that he killed Mr. Geller.
What I'm trying to understand is why.
Was there anything going on
between these two?
Anything unusual?
Anything unrelated to work?
Not that I'm aware of.
But they definitely weren't
romantically involved,
if that's what you're suggesting.
And what made Rossi, who is seemingly
a normal, law-abiding young man,
commit such a violent act?
The defendant worked
with Jon Geller for five years.
He was paid quite handsomely as well.
Last year, his total
compensation was $745,000.
That's not bad for someone
who just turned 27.
And yet, the defendant
despised John Geller.
He thought he was disrespectful,
dismissive, abusive.
And for the most part, he'd been able
to keep this disdain in check
and carry out
his professional obligations.
But on July 19th,
on a crisp, sunny Saturday morning,
something triggered him
to viciously attack and kill Jon Geller.
To be honest, we don't know
the reason for this attack,
but we do know the evidence will show
the defendant confronted Mr. Geller
near the East End helipad
and beat him to death
with a golf club.
The defendant may look like just another
clean-cut former lacrosse player
trying to make it big on Wall Street.
And for the most part, he was,
until the morning of July 19th, anyway.
On that day, he turned
into a vengeful and cold-blooded killer.
You've all heard
of Battered Wife Syndrome
or Abused Person Syndrome,
as they say here in New York.
Nick Rossi was a victim
of something very similar,
Battered Banker Syndrome.
The victims of this abuse suffer
the same debilitating and disturbing
psychological trauma as those who suffer
from Abused Person Syndrome.
Jon Geller mentally tortured
and abused Nick Rossi for years.
The abuse was so extreme
and its effect on Mr. Rossi
so profound
that Mr. Rossi truly believed
the only way to extricate himself
from this abusive relationship
was to kill the man abusing him.
"Battered Banker Syndrome"
is neither a legal concept
nor a psychological condition.
It is a made-up buzzword.
It's a clever phrase
the defense invented
with the goal of blaming
Mr. Geller for his own death.
They're they're trying
to put Geller on trial
instead of the person who killed him.
This is nothing more
than a thinly veiled attempt
to goad the jury into ignoring the law.
There's nothing veiled about
what we're trying to do here.
We want people to understand
just how degrading
and stressful it was
to work for Jon Geller.
And this Battered Banker thing?
Is merely a variation
of a well-known condition.
In many ways, it's the exact same thing.
The psychological consequences
of an abusive employer
to an employee are akin
to those of an abusive husband
to his wife.
Except for the fact that bosses
aren't named in the statute.
This law is meant to address children,
wives, domestic partners.
Or persons who are or have been
in an intimate relationship.
Correct, intimate, not professional.
Well, when you spend
100 hours a week together
in an office building
- [LAUGHS]
No, no, no. That is ridiculous.
If the legislature wanted to include
employers in the statute,
they would have done so.
Furthermore,
there's no evidence whatsoever
that Geller was ever physically abusive.
That's not true.
Geller was constantly
threatening to harm my client.
No, it was all hyperbole
Ah, a threat is a threat.
That's a fair point.
But the facts don't
even remotely support
a claim of self-defense.
The defendant followed Geller
to the East End helipad.
He pursued the victim.
I understand.
And if you're right,
and if the facts are
as clear as you suggest,
the jury will see that.
But Mr. Damaso is free to present
the defense he wants, flaws and all.
Your Honor,
they are inventing a narrative
for the sole purpose
of confusing the jury.
Pretty sure that's Mr. Damaso's job.
Mr. Addis, could you please describe
your general impression
of the relationship between Mr. Geller
and the defendant?
My general impression is,
they really didn't have a relationship.
I'm not sure Jon even knew
Nick's first name.
And what was your general impression
of the defendant's opinion
of Mr. Geller?
Well, he hated him with a passion.
Why do you say that?
Because he told me all the time.
Geller drove him crazy.
Can you be more specific?
Geller was all about business, money.
Two and twenty.
What does that mean?
We get 2% of the assets under management
and 20% of the profits.
That's all that Geller focused on,
growing our assets
and increasing our profits.
He had absolutely no interest
in anything else,
no empathy for employees,
no interest in people's personal lives.
But everyone knew that.
That was the bargain we all made.
Work like a dog, be treated like crap,
get rich by 35.
But Nick didn't seem to comprehend that.
He never quite figured out
that he'd made a deal with the devil.
Did the defendant ever say
that he intended
to inflict harm upon Mr. Geller?
- Yes.
- When was this?
About a week or so
before Geller was killed.
What did he say?
He was tired of Geller
disrespecting him.
Said if he kept it up,
he was going to beat his ass.
To be honest,
I just thought he was venting.
Can you please describe what happened
on the morning of July 19th?
Nick and I were working,
trying to close a deal
we'd been working on for months.
And Geller stopped by,
carrying this new putter
he had custom built, and he was pissed.
He said that we needed
to close the deal this week,
or we'd both be fired.
And then what happened?
He left, said he was off
to the Hamptons.
How did the defendant react?
He just kept complaining about Geller.
And then about 15 minutes later,
he just walked out.
Did he tell you where he was going?
No.
I just assumed that he had hit
his breaking point,
that he quit.
Happens a lot.
Nothing further.
If Mr. Rossi wanted to go home
and take a nap
on the morning of July 19th,
Mr. Geller would have
fired him, correct?
Yes, absolutely.
If Nick Rossi were ill
and left the office to see a doctor,
Geller would have fired him
for that as well, correct?
No, Geller wasn't that crazy.
He probably would have just tortured him
a little bit down the road.
Look, this business isn't for everyone.
But if you sign up for it,
if you're lucky enough
to get one of the coveted
few seats of the table,
you don't get to be soft.
You have to be prepared
to do whatever it takes
working through illnesses,
birthday dinners, friends' weddings.
If you don't want to do that
or you can't do that,
then get a job whipping up cappuccinos
at a café in the West Village.
Nothing further.
There were several
lacerations to the scalp,
including a linear laceration
measuring 13 centimeters
on the left temporal region
and a stellate laceration
with surrounding abrasions
on the right parietal region.
Multiple skull fractures were identified
on the left frontal lobe,
as well as evidence
of cerebral contusions
and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Does the medical report state
how many times Mr. Geller was struck?
Yes.
Based on an examination
of the decedent's injuries,
the decedent was struck at least 10,
possibly 11 times with violent force.
Is there a reason
why the medical examiner
wasn't more exact?
Sometimes when the violence
is so severe,
it's just impossible
for the medical examiner
to determine exactly how many blows
were administered with any
real degree of certainty.
In other words,
this attack was so violent,
it is impossible for the medical
Objection.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
No questions.
People rest.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Photos seemed to do the trick.
The jury was horrified, in a good way.
I just need to keep reminding them
that Geller was the victim, not Rossi,
and that having a bad boss
doesn't give you
the right to commit murder.
Yeah.
The problem is, people hate bad bosses,
and lots of people have them,
which means
some or even most of the jury have them.
That may be true,
but that's a good thing too.
Why is that?
Well, none of the jurors
killed their bad boss.
[OVERLAPPING ARGUING]
You didn't know my husband.
You don't know
And you don't know my son.
Why didn't he just quit?
He didn't have to bash his face in!
Your husband treated him like dirt!
Didn't let him come to my wedding.
- My wedding!
- OK, OK.
- That's what he
- OK, OK. Calm down.
- Stop talking to me!
- Screw your wedding!
Everyone, back up, now.
At least you have your husband!
I know you're just doing your job,
but you're on the wrong end of this one.
A man can only be pushed so far.
Let's go. Time to leave.
Dr. Morley, did you have the opportunity
to examine Mr. Rossi?
I did.
And what were your observations?
That he is, in essence,
experiencing the same level
of fear, stress, helplessness, and anger
that abused wives or domestic
partners tend to suffer.
Would it be reasonable
for someone suffering
this kind of abuse to believe
they were in imminent fear of death?
Yes.
Would it be reasonable for someone
suffering from this condition
to believe the only way
to end the abusive behavior
was to kill the abuser?
Yes, absolutely.
Nothing further.
There is no condition or or illness
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders called
Battered Banker Syndrome.
Correct.
And most cases of Abused Person Syndrome
are a result of abusive
intimate relationships.
The victim typically lives with
or is sexually involved with the abuser.
- Yes.
- And to be clear,
in your examination of the defendant,
he never once mentioned
that that he was
intimately or sexually involved
with Mr. Geller.
He did not.
He didn't live with Mr. Geller?
That's correct.
And Mr. Geller never
put his hands on the defendant, either.
No.
OK. Thank you.
On the morning of July 19th,
did you hear Jon Geller
arguing with Nick Rossi?
Yes.
What was the basis of the argument?
Geller was pissed the McKenna
deal hadn't closed yet.
He was worried
the interest rate might spike
and kill the projected IRR.
Meaning what? He'd make less money?
Yes.
Did you hear the exact words
Mr. Geller said
- to Mr. Rossi?
- Yes.
I was standing in the hallway
near the coffee room.
And I heard Geller screaming at Nick.
He said something like,
"Do not leave this office
until the deal is closed.
"If you so much as take
a walk around the block,
"I will fire you.
"No, wait. That's too kind.
"I will literally beat you
with a baseball bat
and watch you bleed to death."
Have you seen or heard Mr. Geller
verbally attack Nick Rossi
before that incident?
Yes, several times.
How would you characterize
the nature of these verbal attacks?
As sadistic.
I think Geller enjoyed berating Nick.
I once heard him say, "You are probably
the dumbest associate I've ever hired."
Can you recall any other verbal abuse?
About a month ago,
Geller was really upset
and started attacking
Nick's Italian heritage.
It was so outrageous,
I just started recording.
Your Honor, I'd like
to introduce this video
as Defense Exhibit 22.
I can't believe I actually hired you.
I don't know what I was thinking.
And I swear to God,
if you don't somehow
get smarter, a lot smarter,
I'm gonna throw your dumb ass
out on the street,
and you're going to be pouring concrete
with your paisans from Brooklyn.
- I'm sorry. I'll do better.
- No, no, no.
You don't get to apologize
or make mistakes.
That's not how it works.
You either get it right, or get out!
And I'm serious.
You screw up one more time,
you're gone
from here, from Wall Street.
Oh, I'll blow your ass up
at every firm in this city.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
So what happened after the video ended?
Geller walked back to his
office like nothing happened.
In fact, he was kind of smiling,
like he was proud of his rant.
And what about Nick?
Nick started crying.
It was difficult to watch.
Nothing further.
♪
No questions.
The witness is excused.
The defense calls Ron Moffit.
Your Honor, can we meet in chambers?
There is nothing
Mr. Moffit can testify to
that is remotely relevant to this case.
Really?
You don't think the fact
that Mr. Moffit's son
died at his desk
while working for Geller
is relevant to this current case?
It literally couldn't be more relevant.
It establishes the reasonableness
of Mr. Rossi's fear of imminent death.
Can you be more specific?
Geller abused
this young man, Ted Moffit.
He abused Rossi the same way.
And that kid wound up dead
died at his desk after working 72 hours
because Geller refused to let him leave.
Sounds relevant to me.
Call your witness.
When was the last time
you talked to your son?
The day before he passed.
Was he sick?
Yeah, he had the flu.
I told him to stay home
and get some rest.
He said that was not an option.
What do you mean by that?
Ted said they were working
on some important transaction,
and he needed to be in the office.
I said, I don't care
how big a damn deal that was.
You need to stay home and get in bed.
And how did he respond?
That if he stayed home,
Geller would have him fired.
So he went to the office.
He worked all night,
and he passed the next night
at his desk.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Moffit,
Mr. Geller didn't force your son
to go to work that day.
If Ted had listened to your advice
and stayed at home,
no one from Higson Capital
would have come
to his apartment
and dragged him to the office.
No, of course not.
But he would have been fired.
According to Ted.
He may have believed
that he would have been fired,
but there's no evidence of that.
That was simply Ted's impression.
All I can say is that Ted didn't think
he could stay home that day,
even with the flu.
Ted also had a pre-existing
heart condition as well,
arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
That's correct.
An autopsy was conducted
following Ted's death?
Yes.
And the official cause of death was
determined to be sudden cardiac arrest.
Yes.
So from a medical perspective,
Mr. Geller had absolutely nothing
to do with your son's death.
What?
Well, he didn't choke him to death.
He didn't stick
a damn knife in his chest.
But Geller contributed to his death.
All that stress, all that pressure,
plus the lack of sleep,
that is what caused
Ted's heart to malfunction.
That's your belief, sir.
But the medical examiner
did not find any evidence
I don't care about
the damn medical examiner.
If it weren't for Jon Geller,
my son would still be alive.
I guarantee that.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Nothing further.
Can you please tell the jury
what happened
on the morning of July 19th?
I was working on this deal
day after day,
trying to we were trying to buy
this luxury goods company
called McKenna.
When you say day after day,
what do you mean?
It means I didn't leave the office
for three straight days.
Not even at night?
No.
I slept in my office.
Can you describe
your your state of mind?
I felt like I was trapped,
like I couldn't leave the building.
I literally felt like
I was gonna die like Ted.
And that scared me.
I was the one who found Ted's body.
At first, I thought he was sleeping,
but he was dead.
If you felt this way,
why didn't you just quit?
I thought about it all the time,
but I couldn't do it.
I needed to stick it out, succeed.
Even though Geller was verbally
and mentally abusing you.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
I'll rephrase
even though you were miserable
and felt trapped.
Yes.
Look, I know it doesn't make any sense,
but I didn't think
quitting was an option.
Not for a guy like me, anyway.
What do you mean by that?
I didn't go to Harvard.
I don't have an MBA.
I kind of snuck in through
the back door, you know?
I wanted to prove myself
and prove that I belonged.
If I quit, my career would be over.
Other firms would think
that I couldn't hack it
or that I got pushed out.
Rich kids with perfect résumés
get to quit.
Blue collar kids
who went to Fordham don't.
So I sucked it up,
no matter how bad it got.
When you left the office
the morning of July 19th,
what were you trying to accomplish?
What do you mean?
What was your objective, your goal?
My goal was to free myself
of Geller's chokehold.
Can you be more specific?
I felt like he was suffocating me.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
My heart was racing.
Like I said, I thought I was gonna die.
So that morning, when I left the office,
my purpose was to kill Jon Geller
because I knew that if I didn't,
I would have ended up dead.
Your Honor, it's almost 5:00.
Can we adjourn for the day?
Yes, good idea.
We'll see you all tomorrow morning.
[GAVEL BANGS]
So you want me to testify
as a rebuttal witness.
I need you to help establish
Rossi's state of mind,
his general demeanor
on the morning of the murder.
Why?
Because Rossi just told
the jury that he felt like
he was on the verge of death
that morning.
He couldn't breathe.
His heart was racing.
And he was very convincing too.
Yeah, well, I'm not sure I can do that.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Well, what do you mean?
You were there. You were with Rossi.
Oh, yes, but I've had time to reflect.
And I'm starting to relate more
to Rossi's point of view on all this.
What the hell are you talking about?
Jon Geller and his number two,
Carter Getzelman, created a hostile
and poisonous work environment.
They constantly and systematically
degraded employees, made unreasonable
and unhealthy demands of their time.
I don't wanna say anything on the record
that might appear to support
this type of behavior.
You son of a bitch.
Excuse me?
You're using this trial
to take out the new CEO, Getzelman.
No.
I'm trying to do the right thing.
[SCOFFS] Uh, no. No, no, no.
No, the right thing
is to tell the truth,
is to get justice for Jon Geller,
not to exploit his murder
for personal gain.
You said that you liked him,
that you respected
that he made you rich.
He did.
Just not rich enough.
[SIGHS] Hope it's worth it.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
I knew Geller was a shark, but
It's all just a game to these guys.
They see a pathway to more
money or power, they take it.
Hell of a way to live,
if you exclude the Hamptons houses
and the private jets.
I need to make it clear on cross
that Geller's so-called threats
were hollow.
They were just bluster and hyperbole,
and that no matter how
disrespectful Geller could be
or how helpless Rossi felt,
it didn't justify murder.
The simple truth is, Rossi got tired
of Geller degrading him, and he snapped.
If that's what you believe,
shouldn't we be considering
a lesser charge?
Excuse me?
You just said he snapped.
If that's what you think, then
Yeah, yeah, he snapped,
but it was a cold-blooded attack,
based on on rage, anger, hate.
Yeah, yeah, sure, but he was
in a tough situation.
What do you mean?
He knew he didn't fit in, right?
That he was different than most,
if not all, the other associates.
Pretty sure they call that
imposter syndrome.
I get it.
And it's understandable for someone
to have doubts about his or her status
or sense of belonging
within a highly competitive
organization,
but it obviously doesn't justify murder.
Oh, no. No, of course not.
I'm just saying it explains the
the anger and stress.
You know, it's not easy
to work at a place
filled with really smart,
really driven people
who all went to the best schools
when you're just a regular Joe.
You know, you try really hard
to fit in and be one of them.
But deep down, you know you're not.
I understand how difficult that might be
and that it's easy
for someone in that situation
to feel insecure at times.
But once again, it has
nothing to do with this case.
It doesn't matter that
Rossi seems like a decent guy
and that he was trying hard to fit in
or that he was being
overworked and disrespected.
That's the job.
That's what he signed up for.
Well, what can I say?
I like to root for the underdog.
I know.
But unfortunately,
prosecuting decent people
who do horrible things,
people like Rossi,
that's part of our job.
That is what we signed up for.
When you accepted the offer
to join Higson Capital,
you knew that you'd be required to work
incredibly long hours, correct?
Yes.
And that you would be asked
to work weekends
and even through the night, on occasion?
Yes.
But that wasn't the problem.
I don't know what you mean.
Well, the problem was Jon Geller.
You despised him.
You thought he was an elitist?
Yes to both questions.
It's hard
to work at a place like Higson,
a place that is filled
with really smart,
really driven people who all
went to the best schools
when you're just a regular Joe.
It is.
You try really hard to fit in
and to be one of them,
but you knew that you weren't.
And you knew the second you screwed up,
Geller was going to kick
your ass to the curb.
I suppose.
And you hated Geller
for making you feel that way.
That's not true.
You didn't suffer
from Battered Banker Syndrome.
You suffered from imposter syndrome.
I don't know what that means.
It means you knew you didn't belong.
You knew your peers were
more accomplished than you,
and you knew that Geller knew.
Is there a question here?
Get to the point, Mr. Price.
You didn't kill Jon Geller
because you were afraid for your life.
You killed Jon Geller
because he made you feel
inadequate, small, weak.
You resented his wealth, his pedigree.
I resented his arrogance.
And that's why you killed him, right?
Because he was arrogant.
Because he saw
right through your façade.
He thought he was a king,
that he could say whatever he wanted.
And that pissed you off!
- Yes!
- Your Honor, a brief recess.
- So you killed
- Your Honor
You didn't need to kill Jon Geller.
You wanted to kill him.
You're damn right I did!
And that son of a bitch
got what he deserved!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
That might have been the quickest
jury deliberation ever.
He confessed on the stand.
Yeah.
I still feel bad for him, though.
Not me.
Really?
Not even a little?
Well, I aspire to be
as coldhearted as you someday.
Good luck.
Look, I know
you were just venting earlier.
But you are no impostor, Sam.
And if I make you feel that way
No.
No, you don't.
It's just, uh, the way
I see the world, I suppose.
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented
by two separate,
yet equally important groups:
the police, who investigate crime,
and the district attorneys,
who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
I heard the good news.
I still can't believe it.
And thank you so much
for writing that letter.
It means the world to me.
He's a great kid.
Princeton's lucky to get him.
No, I mean that.
Really?
He doesn't even nod hello?
I mean, here we are, working
on a Saturday to make him rich.
He doesn't even say hello?
You're missing the point.
We're here to make ourselves rich.
We're using him,
just like he's using us.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
The lady over there saw the body,
called 911.
- Did she see anything else?
- No, sir. Just the body.
Any other potential witnesses?
No, sir.
♪
That's a lot of rage.
Those are some very deep wounds.
Thinking maybe a pipe or maybe a bat?
Got an ID?
We didn't touch him.
We were waiting for you guys.
His wedding band
and watch are still on him.
Got a wallet.
Jon Geller, Higson Capital.
Geller.
I know that name.
Wall Street guy, right?
He's kind of a legend.
Can you bag that?
Yes, ma'am.
Probably on his way to his beach house
or someplace fabulous.
Yeah, but once in a while,
it's not so good to be a legend.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Cause of death was you guessed it
blunt force trauma.
Pretty vicious attack.
10, possibly 11, blows
to the head and face
with a heavy object.
Any idea what kind?
No, but based on the wounds,
something with a sharp
and thin edge to it, like a crowbar.
Anything else?
Found some third-party DNA
under Geller's nails.
Figures.
The guy's been scratching and clawing
his entire life, right?
Are you sure?
He's not the only Jon Geller
in New York.
Yeah, we're sure.
Um, I'm very sorry.
We just need to ask you a few questions.
Were you aware of his plans for the day?
Uh, he was heading out to Long Island
to play golf with a client.
Was he driving?
No, no, no.
He was he was taking his helicopter.
He stopped by the office first.
Was there anything unusual
happening lately?
Anyone harassing him,
stalking him, threatening him?
- Oh.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.
I got you. OK, all right.
Take a seat. Take a seat.
OK, breathe. OK, just breathe.
[CRYING]
According to the video surveillance
we just watched, you guys met
with Geller earlier this morning?
Uh, correct.
And how long did you guys meet for?
About ten minutes, maybe less.
What'd you talk about?
Business.
Did he seem upset or agitated
or everything seemed normal?
Uh, both.
What does that mean?
Jon's normal state of being
at work, anyway
was being agitated, so both.
That your impression as well?
Yeah, more or less.
He was a little more agitated
than usual.
Why is that?
Because the deal we were
working on hasn't closed yet.
He thought we weren't
working hard enough.
Did he mention anything
about his plans for the day,
where he was going,
who he was meeting with?
No.
To your knowledge, was anyone
harassing or threatening him?
No.
Is there anything you can tell us
that you think might be helpful?
He was carrying a putter.
He just had it custom made.
He said it was going to change his life.
[SIGHS]
Good chance that new putter
was the murder weapon.
Really changed the guy's life too.
Excuse me.
Are you the assistant for Mr. Geller?
Yes, I heard what happened,
and I rushed over.
I wanted to see
if I could help with anything.
What time did you arrive?
About ten minutes ago.
Did you happen to talk with
or text Mr. Geller this morning?
Yes, we texted around 8:30.
About what?
His flight to Bridgehampton.
Was he traveling alone?
No.
I was waiting for him at the helipad.
I just thought he was running late
or got caught on an early morning Zoom.
So I left and got a coffee.
And you and Mr. Geller were
heading to Long Island to play golf?
Is that right?
Yes.
Which course?
Um, the one he belongs to.
It's private.
You don't know the name of it?
No.
Let me remind you that we're
investigating a homicide here, OK?
So anything that you say is actually
Sorry.
We weren't going out to play golf.
We were gonna spend
the weekend together.
Just the two of you?
We were dating.
So was this a serious thing or
Yes.
Did Mr. Geller's wife know?
Jon said he was gonna tell her about us,
ask for a divorce.
But he didn't wanna hurt her.
Did you actually see Jon this morning?
- Speak to him?
- No.
He told me to meet him
at the helipad at 10:00.
Any altercations? Any arguments?
Well, last night, Jon and his wife
got into an argument over the phone.
It sounded pretty heated.
You know what it was about?
Not really.
But I heard Jon say, this is happening,
whether you like it or not.
And then he just sort of stormed off,
told me he'd meet me at the helipad.
And that was it.
That was the last time I saw him.
Do you think it's possible
that Geller told her
about you and the divorce?
Yeah.
He said he was going to.
Wait, you don't think that
Wait, you're telling me that Jon was
he was dating a man?
Yeah.
- His name is Matt Thomas.
- [SIGHS]
I find that very hard to believe.
We're just telling you what we know.
This man was meeting Jon
at the East End helipad
yesterday morning.
And he also says he heard
Jon having an argument with you
the night before he was killed.
What are you talking about?
They were out at a bar,
and he heard Jon say, this is happening,
whether you like it or not.
Was he asking you for a divorce?
A divorce?
No.
We were arguing about our son, Shane.
Jon wanted him
to repeat the sixth grade.
He thought it would give him
a tactical advantage,
you know, him being older
than other kids.
And I thought it was overkill.
That's what we were arguing about.
Did you find the person
who killed my dad?
No, not yet, but we are
doing everything we can,
I promise you.
Shane, honey,
please go up to your room, OK?
Mrs. Geller, I apologize in advance,
but where were you
yesterday morning at 9:45 a.m.?
Well, I had a Pilates class
in the West Village.
I know we asked you this earlier,
but can you think of anyone
that was harassing
or threatening your husband?
There's this one guy at work.
He was threatening to sue Jon
for a lot of money.
You all right?
Yeah.
I was thinking about Geller's wife.
Dead bodies I can handle,
but telling innocent people
secrets about their loved ones?
Not my favorite.
Yeah, I get it.
Part of the deal, though, right?
Talking with perfect strangers
on the worst day of their life,
asking them personal questions,
telling them things
they never knew about their loved ones.
Hell of a job.
[KEYBOARD CLACKING]
Sorry to bother you, Mr. Addis.
I'm sort of in the middle of something.
Eh, this won't take long.
We want to know why you were
threatening to sue Geller.
[SIGHS] Excuse me.
Jon led me to believe
that I was going to be
named CEO when he retired.
Told me that, like, five or six times.
But he appointed somebody else instead?
Carter Getzelman.
Good guy.
We went to business school together.
But I was still upset.
I've had lots of lucrative
offers over the past few years,
and every time I got one,
Jon persuaded me to stay,
told me I was going to run
the firm when he retired.
But I never actually sued him.
Why is that?
We talked it out and renegotiated
my employment contract for the better.
How come you didn't tell us this
last time we spoke?
Well, you never asked.
I'm pretty sure we did.
Huh.
I lied. Habit.
Excuse me?
Three rules of Wall Street
never admit defeat,
never use your own money,
and never tell the truth.
- Are you trying to be funny?
- Mm, a little.
Knock it off.
I didn't kill Jon Geller.
That's ridiculous.
Truth is, I liked him and respected him.
He taught me a lot and made me rich too.
You happen to exit the building that day
after Geller left?
I went for a quick lunch around 1:00.
Got a receipt?
Paid in cash.
Didn't know you could still do that.
[PHONE VIBRATING]
Ooh.
Guys, I need to take this.
Addis.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
These Wall Street dudes are
so proud of being ruthless.
I'm not sure if this Addis guy is as OK
as he suggests at being passed over.
Only thing more intoxicating than money
- is power, right?
- Yeah.
And how about that video?
There's footage of him leaving
the building at 12:49 p.m.
Nothing before that?
No, but I'm guessing
there's a back exit.
For all we know, he could have
snuck out and snuck back in.
[PHONE DINGS]
DNA results are in.
♪
[SIREN WAILING]
♪
OK.
This is just officially
getting ridiculous.
Yes, it is, but we need to talk.
And why is that?
Because your DNA matches the DNA found
under Geller's fingernails.
That's impossible.
No, it's not impossible at all.
We borrowed some of the coffee cups
from the conference room.
Turns out the saliva
I don't drink coffee.
Never have.
So if the cups you borrowed
had coffee in them,
it wasn't me.
This is my stimulant of choice.
♪
Nick Rossi.
What's going on?
Can you give me that cup
and put your hands behind your back?
Why?
Because you're under arrest
for the murder of Jon Geller.
What?
We found your DNA under
Jon Geller's fingernails.
People who commit murder shouldn't leave
half-empty coffee cups lying around.
♪
We just found your DNA
under Geller's fingernails.
And a patrol officer
just found the putter,
the one that you used to smash
Geller's skull, in a dumpster.
So I'm guessing we're gonna
find your fingerprints
all over that too.
And if that wasn't enough,
we've got video
of you leaving the office
the morning of the murder
at 8:48 a.m.
You don't return until 11:17.
So what happened, huh?
Why'd you attack this guy?
You know, I looked at your bio.
You graduated
top of your class at Fordham.
You played lacrosse.
You got a clean record.
I mean, you seem like a good kid.
But good kids don't kill people.
Not without a reason, right?
A good reason?
You know, Nick, believe it or not,
I actually am trying to help you here,
but I can't do that
if you don't tell me
your side of the story.
So just start at the beginning.
What did Geller say? What did Geller do?
He is the most disrespectful human being
I've ever met.
He treats people like he acts like
he acts like he owns you.
That must be very hard to deal with.
I know if someone treated me
that way day after day
I'm done talking.
I want a lawyer.
Thanks for doing this.
Please.
The evidence against
Mr. Rossi is strong.
It's clear that he killed Mr. Geller.
What I'm trying to understand is why.
Was there anything going on
between these two?
Anything unusual?
Anything unrelated to work?
Not that I'm aware of.
But they definitely weren't
romantically involved,
if that's what you're suggesting.
And what made Rossi, who is seemingly
a normal, law-abiding young man,
commit such a violent act?
The defendant worked
with Jon Geller for five years.
He was paid quite handsomely as well.
Last year, his total
compensation was $745,000.
That's not bad for someone
who just turned 27.
And yet, the defendant
despised John Geller.
He thought he was disrespectful,
dismissive, abusive.
And for the most part, he'd been able
to keep this disdain in check
and carry out
his professional obligations.
But on July 19th,
on a crisp, sunny Saturday morning,
something triggered him
to viciously attack and kill Jon Geller.
To be honest, we don't know
the reason for this attack,
but we do know the evidence will show
the defendant confronted Mr. Geller
near the East End helipad
and beat him to death
with a golf club.
The defendant may look like just another
clean-cut former lacrosse player
trying to make it big on Wall Street.
And for the most part, he was,
until the morning of July 19th, anyway.
On that day, he turned
into a vengeful and cold-blooded killer.
You've all heard
of Battered Wife Syndrome
or Abused Person Syndrome,
as they say here in New York.
Nick Rossi was a victim
of something very similar,
Battered Banker Syndrome.
The victims of this abuse suffer
the same debilitating and disturbing
psychological trauma as those who suffer
from Abused Person Syndrome.
Jon Geller mentally tortured
and abused Nick Rossi for years.
The abuse was so extreme
and its effect on Mr. Rossi
so profound
that Mr. Rossi truly believed
the only way to extricate himself
from this abusive relationship
was to kill the man abusing him.
"Battered Banker Syndrome"
is neither a legal concept
nor a psychological condition.
It is a made-up buzzword.
It's a clever phrase
the defense invented
with the goal of blaming
Mr. Geller for his own death.
They're they're trying
to put Geller on trial
instead of the person who killed him.
This is nothing more
than a thinly veiled attempt
to goad the jury into ignoring the law.
There's nothing veiled about
what we're trying to do here.
We want people to understand
just how degrading
and stressful it was
to work for Jon Geller.
And this Battered Banker thing?
Is merely a variation
of a well-known condition.
In many ways, it's the exact same thing.
The psychological consequences
of an abusive employer
to an employee are akin
to those of an abusive husband
to his wife.
Except for the fact that bosses
aren't named in the statute.
This law is meant to address children,
wives, domestic partners.
Or persons who are or have been
in an intimate relationship.
Correct, intimate, not professional.
Well, when you spend
100 hours a week together
in an office building
- [LAUGHS]
No, no, no. That is ridiculous.
If the legislature wanted to include
employers in the statute,
they would have done so.
Furthermore,
there's no evidence whatsoever
that Geller was ever physically abusive.
That's not true.
Geller was constantly
threatening to harm my client.
No, it was all hyperbole
Ah, a threat is a threat.
That's a fair point.
But the facts don't
even remotely support
a claim of self-defense.
The defendant followed Geller
to the East End helipad.
He pursued the victim.
I understand.
And if you're right,
and if the facts are
as clear as you suggest,
the jury will see that.
But Mr. Damaso is free to present
the defense he wants, flaws and all.
Your Honor,
they are inventing a narrative
for the sole purpose
of confusing the jury.
Pretty sure that's Mr. Damaso's job.
Mr. Addis, could you please describe
your general impression
of the relationship between Mr. Geller
and the defendant?
My general impression is,
they really didn't have a relationship.
I'm not sure Jon even knew
Nick's first name.
And what was your general impression
of the defendant's opinion
of Mr. Geller?
Well, he hated him with a passion.
Why do you say that?
Because he told me all the time.
Geller drove him crazy.
Can you be more specific?
Geller was all about business, money.
Two and twenty.
What does that mean?
We get 2% of the assets under management
and 20% of the profits.
That's all that Geller focused on,
growing our assets
and increasing our profits.
He had absolutely no interest
in anything else,
no empathy for employees,
no interest in people's personal lives.
But everyone knew that.
That was the bargain we all made.
Work like a dog, be treated like crap,
get rich by 35.
But Nick didn't seem to comprehend that.
He never quite figured out
that he'd made a deal with the devil.
Did the defendant ever say
that he intended
to inflict harm upon Mr. Geller?
- Yes.
- When was this?
About a week or so
before Geller was killed.
What did he say?
He was tired of Geller
disrespecting him.
Said if he kept it up,
he was going to beat his ass.
To be honest,
I just thought he was venting.
Can you please describe what happened
on the morning of July 19th?
Nick and I were working,
trying to close a deal
we'd been working on for months.
And Geller stopped by,
carrying this new putter
he had custom built, and he was pissed.
He said that we needed
to close the deal this week,
or we'd both be fired.
And then what happened?
He left, said he was off
to the Hamptons.
How did the defendant react?
He just kept complaining about Geller.
And then about 15 minutes later,
he just walked out.
Did he tell you where he was going?
No.
I just assumed that he had hit
his breaking point,
that he quit.
Happens a lot.
Nothing further.
If Mr. Rossi wanted to go home
and take a nap
on the morning of July 19th,
Mr. Geller would have
fired him, correct?
Yes, absolutely.
If Nick Rossi were ill
and left the office to see a doctor,
Geller would have fired him
for that as well, correct?
No, Geller wasn't that crazy.
He probably would have just tortured him
a little bit down the road.
Look, this business isn't for everyone.
But if you sign up for it,
if you're lucky enough
to get one of the coveted
few seats of the table,
you don't get to be soft.
You have to be prepared
to do whatever it takes
working through illnesses,
birthday dinners, friends' weddings.
If you don't want to do that
or you can't do that,
then get a job whipping up cappuccinos
at a café in the West Village.
Nothing further.
There were several
lacerations to the scalp,
including a linear laceration
measuring 13 centimeters
on the left temporal region
and a stellate laceration
with surrounding abrasions
on the right parietal region.
Multiple skull fractures were identified
on the left frontal lobe,
as well as evidence
of cerebral contusions
and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Does the medical report state
how many times Mr. Geller was struck?
Yes.
Based on an examination
of the decedent's injuries,
the decedent was struck at least 10,
possibly 11 times with violent force.
Is there a reason
why the medical examiner
wasn't more exact?
Sometimes when the violence
is so severe,
it's just impossible
for the medical examiner
to determine exactly how many blows
were administered with any
real degree of certainty.
In other words,
this attack was so violent,
it is impossible for the medical
Objection.
Sustained.
Nothing further.
No questions.
People rest.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Photos seemed to do the trick.
The jury was horrified, in a good way.
I just need to keep reminding them
that Geller was the victim, not Rossi,
and that having a bad boss
doesn't give you
the right to commit murder.
Yeah.
The problem is, people hate bad bosses,
and lots of people have them,
which means
some or even most of the jury have them.
That may be true,
but that's a good thing too.
Why is that?
Well, none of the jurors
killed their bad boss.
[OVERLAPPING ARGUING]
You didn't know my husband.
You don't know
And you don't know my son.
Why didn't he just quit?
He didn't have to bash his face in!
Your husband treated him like dirt!
Didn't let him come to my wedding.
- My wedding!
- OK, OK.
- That's what he
- OK, OK. Calm down.
- Stop talking to me!
- Screw your wedding!
Everyone, back up, now.
At least you have your husband!
I know you're just doing your job,
but you're on the wrong end of this one.
A man can only be pushed so far.
Let's go. Time to leave.
Dr. Morley, did you have the opportunity
to examine Mr. Rossi?
I did.
And what were your observations?
That he is, in essence,
experiencing the same level
of fear, stress, helplessness, and anger
that abused wives or domestic
partners tend to suffer.
Would it be reasonable
for someone suffering
this kind of abuse to believe
they were in imminent fear of death?
Yes.
Would it be reasonable for someone
suffering from this condition
to believe the only way
to end the abusive behavior
was to kill the abuser?
Yes, absolutely.
Nothing further.
There is no condition or or illness
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders called
Battered Banker Syndrome.
Correct.
And most cases of Abused Person Syndrome
are a result of abusive
intimate relationships.
The victim typically lives with
or is sexually involved with the abuser.
- Yes.
- And to be clear,
in your examination of the defendant,
he never once mentioned
that that he was
intimately or sexually involved
with Mr. Geller.
He did not.
He didn't live with Mr. Geller?
That's correct.
And Mr. Geller never
put his hands on the defendant, either.
No.
OK. Thank you.
On the morning of July 19th,
did you hear Jon Geller
arguing with Nick Rossi?
Yes.
What was the basis of the argument?
Geller was pissed the McKenna
deal hadn't closed yet.
He was worried
the interest rate might spike
and kill the projected IRR.
Meaning what? He'd make less money?
Yes.
Did you hear the exact words
Mr. Geller said
- to Mr. Rossi?
- Yes.
I was standing in the hallway
near the coffee room.
And I heard Geller screaming at Nick.
He said something like,
"Do not leave this office
until the deal is closed.
"If you so much as take
a walk around the block,
"I will fire you.
"No, wait. That's too kind.
"I will literally beat you
with a baseball bat
and watch you bleed to death."
Have you seen or heard Mr. Geller
verbally attack Nick Rossi
before that incident?
Yes, several times.
How would you characterize
the nature of these verbal attacks?
As sadistic.
I think Geller enjoyed berating Nick.
I once heard him say, "You are probably
the dumbest associate I've ever hired."
Can you recall any other verbal abuse?
About a month ago,
Geller was really upset
and started attacking
Nick's Italian heritage.
It was so outrageous,
I just started recording.
Your Honor, I'd like
to introduce this video
as Defense Exhibit 22.
I can't believe I actually hired you.
I don't know what I was thinking.
And I swear to God,
if you don't somehow
get smarter, a lot smarter,
I'm gonna throw your dumb ass
out on the street,
and you're going to be pouring concrete
with your paisans from Brooklyn.
- I'm sorry. I'll do better.
- No, no, no.
You don't get to apologize
or make mistakes.
That's not how it works.
You either get it right, or get out!
And I'm serious.
You screw up one more time,
you're gone
from here, from Wall Street.
Oh, I'll blow your ass up
at every firm in this city.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
So what happened after the video ended?
Geller walked back to his
office like nothing happened.
In fact, he was kind of smiling,
like he was proud of his rant.
And what about Nick?
Nick started crying.
It was difficult to watch.
Nothing further.
♪
No questions.
The witness is excused.
The defense calls Ron Moffit.
Your Honor, can we meet in chambers?
There is nothing
Mr. Moffit can testify to
that is remotely relevant to this case.
Really?
You don't think the fact
that Mr. Moffit's son
died at his desk
while working for Geller
is relevant to this current case?
It literally couldn't be more relevant.
It establishes the reasonableness
of Mr. Rossi's fear of imminent death.
Can you be more specific?
Geller abused
this young man, Ted Moffit.
He abused Rossi the same way.
And that kid wound up dead
died at his desk after working 72 hours
because Geller refused to let him leave.
Sounds relevant to me.
Call your witness.
When was the last time
you talked to your son?
The day before he passed.
Was he sick?
Yeah, he had the flu.
I told him to stay home
and get some rest.
He said that was not an option.
What do you mean by that?
Ted said they were working
on some important transaction,
and he needed to be in the office.
I said, I don't care
how big a damn deal that was.
You need to stay home and get in bed.
And how did he respond?
That if he stayed home,
Geller would have him fired.
So he went to the office.
He worked all night,
and he passed the next night
at his desk.
Thank you.
Nothing further.
Mr. Moffit,
Mr. Geller didn't force your son
to go to work that day.
If Ted had listened to your advice
and stayed at home,
no one from Higson Capital
would have come
to his apartment
and dragged him to the office.
No, of course not.
But he would have been fired.
According to Ted.
He may have believed
that he would have been fired,
but there's no evidence of that.
That was simply Ted's impression.
All I can say is that Ted didn't think
he could stay home that day,
even with the flu.
Ted also had a pre-existing
heart condition as well,
arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
That's correct.
An autopsy was conducted
following Ted's death?
Yes.
And the official cause of death was
determined to be sudden cardiac arrest.
Yes.
So from a medical perspective,
Mr. Geller had absolutely nothing
to do with your son's death.
What?
Well, he didn't choke him to death.
He didn't stick
a damn knife in his chest.
But Geller contributed to his death.
All that stress, all that pressure,
plus the lack of sleep,
that is what caused
Ted's heart to malfunction.
That's your belief, sir.
But the medical examiner
did not find any evidence
I don't care about
the damn medical examiner.
If it weren't for Jon Geller,
my son would still be alive.
I guarantee that.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Nothing further.
Can you please tell the jury
what happened
on the morning of July 19th?
I was working on this deal
day after day,
trying to we were trying to buy
this luxury goods company
called McKenna.
When you say day after day,
what do you mean?
It means I didn't leave the office
for three straight days.
Not even at night?
No.
I slept in my office.
Can you describe
your your state of mind?
I felt like I was trapped,
like I couldn't leave the building.
I literally felt like
I was gonna die like Ted.
And that scared me.
I was the one who found Ted's body.
At first, I thought he was sleeping,
but he was dead.
If you felt this way,
why didn't you just quit?
I thought about it all the time,
but I couldn't do it.
I needed to stick it out, succeed.
Even though Geller was verbally
and mentally abusing you.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
I'll rephrase
even though you were miserable
and felt trapped.
Yes.
Look, I know it doesn't make any sense,
but I didn't think
quitting was an option.
Not for a guy like me, anyway.
What do you mean by that?
I didn't go to Harvard.
I don't have an MBA.
I kind of snuck in through
the back door, you know?
I wanted to prove myself
and prove that I belonged.
If I quit, my career would be over.
Other firms would think
that I couldn't hack it
or that I got pushed out.
Rich kids with perfect résumés
get to quit.
Blue collar kids
who went to Fordham don't.
So I sucked it up,
no matter how bad it got.
When you left the office
the morning of July 19th,
what were you trying to accomplish?
What do you mean?
What was your objective, your goal?
My goal was to free myself
of Geller's chokehold.
Can you be more specific?
I felt like he was suffocating me.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
My heart was racing.
Like I said, I thought I was gonna die.
So that morning, when I left the office,
my purpose was to kill Jon Geller
because I knew that if I didn't,
I would have ended up dead.
Your Honor, it's almost 5:00.
Can we adjourn for the day?
Yes, good idea.
We'll see you all tomorrow morning.
[GAVEL BANGS]
So you want me to testify
as a rebuttal witness.
I need you to help establish
Rossi's state of mind,
his general demeanor
on the morning of the murder.
Why?
Because Rossi just told
the jury that he felt like
he was on the verge of death
that morning.
He couldn't breathe.
His heart was racing.
And he was very convincing too.
Yeah, well, I'm not sure I can do that.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Well, what do you mean?
You were there. You were with Rossi.
Oh, yes, but I've had time to reflect.
And I'm starting to relate more
to Rossi's point of view on all this.
What the hell are you talking about?
Jon Geller and his number two,
Carter Getzelman, created a hostile
and poisonous work environment.
They constantly and systematically
degraded employees, made unreasonable
and unhealthy demands of their time.
I don't wanna say anything on the record
that might appear to support
this type of behavior.
You son of a bitch.
Excuse me?
You're using this trial
to take out the new CEO, Getzelman.
No.
I'm trying to do the right thing.
[SCOFFS] Uh, no. No, no, no.
No, the right thing
is to tell the truth,
is to get justice for Jon Geller,
not to exploit his murder
for personal gain.
You said that you liked him,
that you respected
that he made you rich.
He did.
Just not rich enough.
[SIGHS] Hope it's worth it.
[ELEVATOR DINGS]
I knew Geller was a shark, but
It's all just a game to these guys.
They see a pathway to more
money or power, they take it.
Hell of a way to live,
if you exclude the Hamptons houses
and the private jets.
I need to make it clear on cross
that Geller's so-called threats
were hollow.
They were just bluster and hyperbole,
and that no matter how
disrespectful Geller could be
or how helpless Rossi felt,
it didn't justify murder.
The simple truth is, Rossi got tired
of Geller degrading him, and he snapped.
If that's what you believe,
shouldn't we be considering
a lesser charge?
Excuse me?
You just said he snapped.
If that's what you think, then
Yeah, yeah, he snapped,
but it was a cold-blooded attack,
based on on rage, anger, hate.
Yeah, yeah, sure, but he was
in a tough situation.
What do you mean?
He knew he didn't fit in, right?
That he was different than most,
if not all, the other associates.
Pretty sure they call that
imposter syndrome.
I get it.
And it's understandable for someone
to have doubts about his or her status
or sense of belonging
within a highly competitive
organization,
but it obviously doesn't justify murder.
Oh, no. No, of course not.
I'm just saying it explains the
the anger and stress.
You know, it's not easy
to work at a place
filled with really smart,
really driven people
who all went to the best schools
when you're just a regular Joe.
You know, you try really hard
to fit in and be one of them.
But deep down, you know you're not.
I understand how difficult that might be
and that it's easy
for someone in that situation
to feel insecure at times.
But once again, it has
nothing to do with this case.
It doesn't matter that
Rossi seems like a decent guy
and that he was trying hard to fit in
or that he was being
overworked and disrespected.
That's the job.
That's what he signed up for.
Well, what can I say?
I like to root for the underdog.
I know.
But unfortunately,
prosecuting decent people
who do horrible things,
people like Rossi,
that's part of our job.
That is what we signed up for.
When you accepted the offer
to join Higson Capital,
you knew that you'd be required to work
incredibly long hours, correct?
Yes.
And that you would be asked
to work weekends
and even through the night, on occasion?
Yes.
But that wasn't the problem.
I don't know what you mean.
Well, the problem was Jon Geller.
You despised him.
You thought he was an elitist?
Yes to both questions.
It's hard
to work at a place like Higson,
a place that is filled
with really smart,
really driven people who all
went to the best schools
when you're just a regular Joe.
It is.
You try really hard to fit in
and to be one of them,
but you knew that you weren't.
And you knew the second you screwed up,
Geller was going to kick
your ass to the curb.
I suppose.
And you hated Geller
for making you feel that way.
That's not true.
You didn't suffer
from Battered Banker Syndrome.
You suffered from imposter syndrome.
I don't know what that means.
It means you knew you didn't belong.
You knew your peers were
more accomplished than you,
and you knew that Geller knew.
Is there a question here?
Get to the point, Mr. Price.
You didn't kill Jon Geller
because you were afraid for your life.
You killed Jon Geller
because he made you feel
inadequate, small, weak.
You resented his wealth, his pedigree.
I resented his arrogance.
And that's why you killed him, right?
Because he was arrogant.
Because he saw
right through your façade.
He thought he was a king,
that he could say whatever he wanted.
And that pissed you off!
- Yes!
- Your Honor, a brief recess.
- So you killed
- Your Honor
You didn't need to kill Jon Geller.
You wanted to kill him.
You're damn right I did!
And that son of a bitch
got what he deserved!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
That might have been the quickest
jury deliberation ever.
He confessed on the stand.
Yeah.
I still feel bad for him, though.
Not me.
Really?
Not even a little?
Well, I aspire to be
as coldhearted as you someday.
Good luck.
Look, I know
you were just venting earlier.
But you are no impostor, Sam.
And if I make you feel that way
No.
No, you don't.
It's just, uh, the way
I see the world, I suppose.